In the Spring of 1988, a self-administered mail survey was distributed to 395journalists and 395 public relations personnel in the San Francisco Bay Area to determine relative job satisfaction of the two groups. Literature indicated a high attrition rate from journalism into public relations, and the study sought reasons for this occurrence. The population of journalists included reporters, editors, photographers, copy editors, and graphics artists at the San Jose Mercury News, the Monterey Herald, and the Times Tribune. The population of Bay Area public relations personnel was derived from the national directory for the Public Relations Society of American (PRSA). Public relations personnel reported being significantly more satisfied with both their jobs and profession. Further, public relations personnel reported being significantly more satisfied with their salaries and chances for career advancement. One interesting aspect of this study was that public relations personnel showed a high correlation between current salary and job satisfaction, but there was no significance for journalists. Although both groups showed highly significant correlations between job satisfaction and autonomy, journalists reported having low levels of autonomy. Through statistical tests, write-in responses, and follow-up interviews with journalists, this researcher concluded that the relatively lower levels of job satisfaction for journalists are largely a result of lack of autonomy.